The present invention relates to hand-held display devices and more particularly relates to a system having a portable electronic book display unit and an associated power and data transfer stand.
Electronic books are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,445,196, 4,855,725, 4,985,697, and 5,475,398. An improved electronic book system is needed, however, which meets the needs of everyday book readers. In particular, an electronic book system is needed which provides a convenient and inexpensive book display unit which is durable and resistant to a typical environment for reading, such as at the beach or pool. Additionally, a need exists for a system which facilitates the protection of text data offered for use in electronic display units. Moreover, a need exists for a system that permits the convenient battery recharging and data downloading into an electronic display unit.